The Warlock Bobbidi

Chibi Mystic Gohan · Post by **Chibi Mystic Gohan** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:58 am

Refer to Steve's "Japanese name pun rule."

Also note that he expressed intrest in using Bibbidi and Bobbidi.

Duo · Post by **Duo** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:02 pm

Daimao wrote:Maybe not every single one.

That just sealed the deal. "Warlock" he shall forever be called by me.

Chibi Mystic Gohan wrote: Eh, I know for a fact that we never see his name written in the manga, so that isn't true. And anyway, Bibidi, Babidi, and Buu are just the Japanese approximations of the actual words from Cinderella, so why would we use romanizations when talking about the characters in English? We might as well use Bejiita or Torankusu.

MajinVegitaXV wrote:As for the katakana romanizations, I too am confused. It's funny how some say, "Kakarotto should be Kakarot because it's closer to the pun...WHAT?! They're calling [insert character here] what the pun means? BASTARDS!" I know it's not the same thing, but I find it amusing. By that logic, why isn't Kuririn changed to be more...chestnuty? Razz

These two both have a point...I, too, am having a hard time finding consistency. If "Babidi" needs to be perfectly romanized...well, I guess the people who go out of their way to spell incredibly long and strange looking Romanji names all this time were right after all?

Olivier Hague · Post by **Olivier Hague** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:33 pm

Chibi Mystic Gohan wrote:Eh, I know for a fact that we never see his name written in the manga, so that isn't true.

It's written in the Daizenshû and on promotional material. So yeah, it's true.
Thanks for the attitude though.

Bibidi, Babidi, and Buu are just the Japanese approximations of the actual words from Cinderella

It's "Babidi" and "Boo", and no, they're not just "Japanese approximations". They're the official romanizations of the characters' names. Just like "Freeza" and "Cell" instead of "furi-za" and "seru".

Chibi Mystic Gohan · Post by **Chibi Mystic Gohan** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:55 pm

Olivier Hague wrote:
Chibi Mystic Gohan wrote:Eh, I know for a fact that we never see his name written in the manga, so that isn't true.
It's written in the Daizenshû and on promotional material. So yeah, it's true.

Eh, as far as I know, the Daizenshuu and "promotional material" aren't the manga.

And if you want to play the "official romanization game," we should call Gokû, "Gokuh," or call Yajirobe, "Yajirove," ect. Toriyama isn't know for his proficient use of English, you know. Go Red Ribon Army!

Oh, and for the record, Dragon Ball Landmark refers to Vegetto and Vegeta as Begeta and Begetto, respectivley.

Olivier Hague · Post by **Olivier Hague** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:31 pm

Chibi Mystic Gohan wrote:Eh

Please drop the attitude.

as far as I know, the Daizenshuu and "promotional material" aren't the manga.

1) Would you say they're not official?
2) Did I say anything about the manga?

And if you want to play the "official romanization game," we should call Gokû, "Gokuh"

Well, I wouldn't have a problem with that, as that's pretty much the exact same thing.

or call Yajirobe, "Yajirove," ect.

Is it spelled like that somewhere in the manga? I don't remember.

Toriyama isn't know for his proficient use of English, you know.

I don't even know why you're talking about English, here. Are the names you've just mentioned English names?

for the record, Dragon Ball Landmark refers to Vegetto and Vegeta as Begeta and Begetto, respectivley.

I know, but the spelling "Vegeta" is far more common. For the record.

Post by **desirecampbell** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:49 pm

What Chibi Mystic Gohan means is that 'promotional material' and 'daizenshuu', while very respectable, are not without errors.

Olivier Hague · Post by **Olivier Hague** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:54 pm

But how can you tell they're errors, here?

Chibi Mystic Gohan · Post by **Chibi Mystic Gohan** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:06 pm

I don't see why you are under the impression that I have an attitude problem. I think I'm speaking normally...

Anyway, why would you use Boo, yet use Bibidi and Babidi (which are merely romanizations), when Toriyama has stated that the names are from the chant, "Bibbidi, Bobbidi, Boo," and using the romanizations goes against all logic?

Olivier Hague · Post by **Olivier Hague** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:15 pm

Chibi Mystic Gohan wrote:I don't see why you are under the impression that I have an attitude problem. I think I'm speaking normally...

The "eh" felt a bit condescending. Maybe I misinterpreted them. Sorry if that's the case.

why would you use Boo, yet use Bibidi and Babidi (which are merely romanizations)

If by "merely romanization", you mean "the way they're written in kana", I would reply that they're not "just" that if that's also how they're written in our alphabet on official merchandise.
"Karin" and "Kibito", for example, are both straightforward renderings of the kana and the official spellings of the names, according to official merchandise.

when Toriyama has stated that the names are from the chant, "Bibbidi, Bobbidi, Boo,"

Just because they're derived from the song, that doesn't necessarily mean they are the song. I don't know what kakarrottos taste like, and I sure as hell can't find a way to put them in my freeza.

Chibi Mystic Gohan · Post by **Chibi Mystic Gohan** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:28 pm

that's also how they're written in our alphabet on official merchandise

But you have to wonder, did the creators of said merchandise know where the names derived from, or know how to spell Bibbidi, Bobbidi, Boo, or did they even care?

"Karin" and "Kibito", for example, are both straightforward renderings of the kana and the official spellings of the names, according to official merchandise.

Correct, and they both also follow the name pun (Karin comes from Karin Tô, meaning Karin Tower. Karintô is a kind of Japanese snack. Kibito comes from the Japanese word "tsukibito").

Just because they're derived from the song, that doesn't necessarily mean they are the song. I don't know what kakarrottos taste like, and I sure as hell can't find a way to put them in my freeza.

But the difference here is that Toriyama modified the names so that they weren't pronounced exactly like the word they derived from (carrot would be pronounced "kyarotto," and freezer is pronounced "Furiizaa," as opposed to Freeza, whose name lacks the enlonged "a" sound). Bibibi, Babidi, and Buu are the way Bibbidi, Bobbidi, and Boo are pronounced in Japanese, without any modifications. See the difference?

Anyway, VegettoEX looks down apon back-and-forth conversations such as this, so you may PM me if you wish. And sorry if I seemed condescending, as it wasn't really intended.

Olivier Hague · Post by **Olivier Hague** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:45 pm

Chibi Mystic Gohan wrote:But you have to wonder, did the creators of said merchandise know where the names derived from, or know how to spell Bibbidi, Bobbidi, Boo, or did they even care?

Why assume they don't? While it's true that they're not always consistent, they also came up with stuff like "Saiyan" and "Nameccian"... Stuff that makes sense.
Maybe they're just guessing. But then again, maybe they're not. Maybe they did check with Toriyama. On the other hand, we are definitely guessing.

the difference here is that Toriyama modified the names so that they weren't pronounced exactly like the word they derived from (carrot would be pronounced "kyarotto," and freezer is pronounced "Furiizaa," as opposed to Freeza, whose name lacks the enlonged "a" sound). Bibibi, Babidi, and Buu are the way Bibbidi, Bobbidi, and Boo are pronounced in Japanese, without any modifications.

Well, actually, this official Buena Vista page spells "Boo" as "bu-", rather than "buu".
And even if there weren't any difference in the kana spelling, they could still decide to have some in the alphabet spelling. It's a possibility.

Anyway, VegettoEX looks down apon back-and-forth conversations such as this, so you may PM me if you wish.

I'm not sure I see the problem... But if there's indeed one, I apologize.

And sorry if I seemed condescending, as it wasn't really intended.

No problem.

MajinVejitaXV · Post by **MajinVejitaXV** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:56 pm

I personally found this topic facinating as a student of the Japanese language. One of the most important/confusing factors is the translation of names in katakana (for instance, in Phantasy Star I the main character is アリサ, so would you translate it as Alisa or Arisa? Both are valid names). Now, in this case you have puns thrown into the mix, but it's interesting nonetheless. Do you choose a more literal translation, or adapt it to English to stress the pun? I choose the former more often than not because I hate the 'in your face' approach.

I sincerely hope Mike doesn't have a problem with this topic, since it's not a case of childish banter but rather debate regarding the topic of discussion. If we can't have topics like this, what's the point of this community?

-Corey

Post by **VegettoEX** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:51 pm

MajinVejitaXV wrote:I sincerely hope Mike doesn't have a problem with this topic, since it's not a case of childish banter but rather debate regarding the topic of discussion. If we can't have topics like this, what's the point of this community?

I clearly don't have a problem with the topic, since I've contributed to it

.

Random back-and-forths between specific individuals that borders on not contributing to the actual discussion at hand is what irritates me, and is not welcome. So let's keep that to a minumum, thanks!

Adamant · Post by **Adamant** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:19 pm

Does anyone happen to know what the romanization of Bippity Boppity Boo in the japanese translation of Cinderella was? If they WERE Bibidi Babidi Buu, then I'd agree with using the english equivalents of those words; Bippity, Boppity and Boo. If they weren't, going with Toriyama's "it's almost the word, but not quite" pun names would be better.

El_Diablo · Post by **El_Diablo** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:53 pm

In the link provided above "Bibidi Babidi Bu" is given as the name of the song.

Olivier Hague · Post by **Olivier Hague** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:05 pm

With "Boo" written differently ("bu-" rather than "buu").
And again, even if all three words were completely identical in kana... I mean, just because it's pronounced the same, it doesn't necessarily mean it's supposed to be spelled the same.

I tend to go with the official romanizations, especially when they're consistent and "work" ("babidi" spelled "Babidi"? heck, why not? 'works for me).
Why assume we know better? Why assume they're wrong and we're right, especially when their spellings might be more than guesswork, and ours definitely aren't?

The S · Post by **The S** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:15 pm

See, that's where it gets confusing. You've got people b.s.in' about people using Japanese phonetics like Torankusu and Seru, and the like, but then they say that "Bibidi", "Babidi", and "Buu" are more correct, even though it's using the same standard.

And for the record, the official spelling in the (American version, at least) song is "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo". Why people keep inserting the letter "p" into the first two parts of the title is beyond me.

Olivier Hague · Post by **Olivier Hague** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:42 pm

The S wrote:See, that's where it gets confusing. You've got people b.s.in' about people using Japanese phonetics like Torankusu and Seru, and the like, but then they say that "Bibidi", "Babidi", and "Buu" are more correct, even though it's using the same standard.

Erm. You do sound confused. ^^;

This is how it goes:

Katakana spelling / pun (word the name is based on) / alphabet spelling (from official merchandise)
Suno / snow / Sno
Pikkoro / piccolo / Piccolo
Radittsu / radish / Raditz
Furi-za / freezer / Freeza
Zabon / zamboa / Zarbon
Neiru / snail / Nail
Ginyu- / gyûnyû / Ginew
Torankusu / trunks / Trunks
Seru / cell / Cell
Kibito / tsukibito / Kibito
Babidi / bobbidi / Babidi
Buu / boo / Boo

So yeah, I think that using "Torankusu" and "Seru" (i.e. the left column) when writing in our alphabet doesn't make any kind of sense.
But no, I'm not saying that "Babidi" and "Buu" are more correct. I'm saying that "Babidi" and "Boo" (i.e. the right column) are more correct.

The Tori-bot · Post by **The Tori-bot** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 12:11 pm

El_Diablo wrote:In the link provided above "Bibidi Babidi Bu" is given as the name of the song.

Where I saw the song mentioned the name of the song is given as "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo", as Viz spells the names.

Unless there's another link someone is hiding from me.

Chibi Mystic Gohan · Post by **Chibi Mystic Gohan** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 1:56 pm

MajinVejitaXV wrote:I personally found this topic facinating as a student of the Japanese language.

I agree. One of the reasons I enjoy the series so much is because I love trying to figure out what Toriyama had in mind when he created a certain characters name (maybe another pun topic should be started...).

Olivier Hague wrote:With "Boo" written differently ("bu-" rather than "buu").

Well, I can't read Japanese text here at school (it comes out as little squares), but I assume you're talking about an enlonged mark (what the heck are those called?!) as opposed to an additional "u" in the word, right? Because as far as I know, it's the exact same thing in Japanese.

Olivier Hague wrote:Why assume we know better? Why assume they're wrong and we're right, especially when their spellings might be more than guesswork, and ours definitely aren't?

I would assume I am correct because Toriyama has stated that the names are from the movie, as opposed to other names (like Freeza), where he has said they simply derive from them. But, that's just how I feel.